Day 23: Back in the bosom of my family

Walking on Llanymynech Hill on Sunday, the vantage point at the top allowed me to look eastwards towards The Wrekin and, further north, I could see the Peckforton Hills. The intervening 20 miles looked conspicuously flat and so it proved today as we left Chirk and headed back into England towards Whitchurch.

The first 8 or so miles were all on road, with decreasing amounts of traffic, giving Keith and I a great opportunity to catch up and reminisce: when I started in Williams and Glyn’s Bank in 1981, Keith was my first line manager and I don’t think either of us imagined then that 42 years later we would be traversing the Shropshire plains dressed largely in Lycra.

Eventually moving on to the Maelor Way, it soon became apparent that the signposting was a little ‘hit or miss’ when compared to Offa’s Dyke. In fact, it was mostly just ‘miss’ and, being used less frequently, there were no footsteps to follow. Our chatting didn’t help our route following and it’s fair to say there was the occasional mapping confusion.

We did have a rare route encounter with a pig, as you can see in the picture below. It appeared to have escaped from a nearby sty and was concentrating on destroying the path with its snouter. I haven’t crossed many pigs and they sit well below cattle in my farm animal phobia. However, I immediately recalled my English Literature A Level and Ted Hughes poem ‘View of a Pig’, in which he advised their bite can ‘take a half moon clean out.’ I gave Napoleon a wide berth and moved swiftly on, leaving Keith to his own safety precautions.

You will also note another beef herd were successfully surmounted, largely on the farmer’s recommendation that ‘they might pop over for a nosy but they are quite safe.’ The same farmer also kindly showed us the driest route through a quagmire that could have threatened my toe socks (two days in a row and growing smellier).

Today is daughter Rachel’s 30th birthday and it was great at Whitchurch to be reunited with wife Suzanne, Rachel and her husband Faromarz, other daughter Sian and niece Christina. We had a lovely meal in Malpas, although we spent more time opening Princess Rachel’s presents than we did eating. I’m sure she received more presents for this one birthday than I did in my first 30 years cumulatively - and I’m an only child.

Taking two months out for this walk means that my nearest and dearest have to make sacrifices to accommodate me and their support is greatly appreciated, so it was lovely that my return (almost) home allowed me to join in celebrations.
Tomorrow I actually sleep at home: I’m on the Sandstone Trail from Grindley Brook to Delamere Forest. First thing when I walk through the door will be checking the gas and electric meters.